Takht-e-Soleyman

The day started rather miserably with cold rain & bits of snow. It was all the worse as I'd managed to mislay my waterproof overgloves. I had the choice between cycling with cold wet hands or wearing my windproof but non-waterproof gloves & having nothing to put on later. neither one was pleasant but I figured it to be best to have something dry for later.

I headed down into Takab, had a kebab, drank a lot of tea & thought about whether to turn the day into that of rest & stay in the town's hotel. I really didn't feel like going anywhere. In the end I decided that I could go on but not before eating a dizi. I'm not sure what was with me but I really needed to eat quite literally all the time. Those who know me think this is my normal state, however today was even worse than usual.

From Takab the road climbed towards mountains enshrouded in cloud with a dusting of fresh snow. All the way up there was a river running in parallel with the road. A strong wind blew me up the hill & clouds past at a great pace. Every so often a rain cloud would pass over but soon after the Sun would dry me out. Along the way there were several villages, most of whose buildings were made of mud reinforced with straw on a wooden & mud brick frame. The rain had turned the earth into wet concrete. If I wasn't too careful park my bike I had to clear hard packed mud from between the wheels & mudguard.

I arrived at a high volcanic plateau at around 2100m altitude. All around were high hills or mountains. In the middle an old volcanic cone rose another 200m. It had been given the name Solomon's Prison. It looked like a natural fortress. On the side were the remains of stone buildings. I clambered up a dirt path to the top. It was possible to reach the crater. I got quite a shock when I peered over, from the crater's edge there was a vertical drop of about 150m. There was a very strong wind from behind & I had visions of slipping & falling over the edge A faint smell of sulfur came from the bottom of the crater. The view from the crater was magnificent. A couple of km further on I arrived at Takht-e-Soleyman (Solomon's throne). It was a complex of buildings, now ruined, based around a circular volcanic lake, from which a steady stream of poisonous mineral water flowed. There had been a point from which flammable gases came forth, these formed part of a pre-Islamic fire temple. The mound around the lake was fortified & had been used as a palace by Mongol Khans in the 14th century. Allegedly the canny priests gave the place the name when the Arab Muslim conquerors came through to save the place knowing the reverence in which Muslims held biblical figures. I had expected a bit more from the place, it was a UNESCO World Heritage site & was touted as one of the most spectacular places in Western Iran.

I camped in a fruit grove just below Takht-e-Soleyman's walls.

I cycled 77 km in 5 hours & 42 minutes
Total so far 3375 km in 49 days
GPS Coordinates of end point - N 36°36.129, E 47°13.627